Current Mini Reviews

Hey guys! I hope you are all doing well. I promise I am working on my Cars 3 review but I want it to be in depth like the rest of my Pixar reviews. Sometime next week I should have something for both it and the short Lou. If you want to see some of my thoughts check out the review on my youtube channel here.

In the meantime, I wanted to do one of my mini review posts to catch you up on a few films I have seen but haven’t written a full post on. Here goes!

A Dog’s Purpose-

A Dog’s Purpose was released with controversy because of a video put out by PETA which has been proven to be manipulatively edited and incorrect. It is the dishonesty of PETA that actually made me want to see this film.

So how does it turn out? It doesn’t quite work but it’s not a total disaster either. The premise is a dog is reincarnated into 4 other dogs and you see how a dog impacts all these different people over the years, which is nice to see. The acting is also strong by all involved.

The problem with that premise is you have to watch a dog die 5 times, which is like Marley and Me times 5.

It’s also a very sentimental movie which won’t be for everyone but my biggest problem with A Dog’s Purpose is the narration by Josh Gad. It’s never ending.

Overall Grade- C

A United Kingdom-

United Kingdom does not break any new ground in the world of inspirational biopics but it’s executed so well it works. The movie is about Sertse Khama, the king of a tribe in Africa that marries a white woman in London. Both the English and African people object to their union and they must fight against this prejudice.

David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike are excellent in their roles as the lead couple and they have great chemistry together. It is also beautifully shot with excellent production values across the board.

It is very predictable but I was invested enough to find it entertaining.

Overall Grade- B

Becoming Cary Grant-

You can watch the documentary Becoming Cary Grant currently on Showtime and I found it to be fascinating. One of the issues I had with La La Land is I felt it presented an idea that dreams would make a person happy. A documentary like this shows achieving creative dreams can leave someone as empty as any other endeavor. True happiness comes from things a career could never give you like relationships and faith. Such is the case with Cary Grant. It goes into his childhood, marriages, career and use of LSD therapy to deal with his trauma. As a film lover and someone interested in human experience I thought it was great.

Also, Jonathan Pryce sounds so much like Cary Grant it’s uncanny.

Overall Grade- B+

DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games-

I reviewed this for Family Movie Night last week. It’s the second film in the DC SuperHero Girls series which is currently a web series but is getting its own show on Cartoon Network in the Fall.

In this entry we get to see the girls face off against a rival high school in the Intergalactic Games. Unfortunately Lena Luther becomes involved and is up to no good.

Obviously this is designed for little girls but it is done so with a lot of care and love. I enjoy the animation, voice work and simple storytelling. It’s enjoyable to watch!

It’s nice to have something in the superhero camp that is G rated wholesome fun instead of the constant PG13 content.

Overall Grade- B

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword-

I have never been a fan of Guy Ritchie particularly the way he shoots action. Even so, King Arthur seemed like a weird project to tackle but I gave it a shot and it was a big mess.

I appreciate the ambition behind the film but I left wondering if there was an idea Ritchie didn’t use. It feels so over-stuffed and manic that it is an exhausting experience to watch. All the actors try hard but it is a hopeless endeavor. The dialogue, characters, special effects, story all don’t work.

I left thinking isn’t the story of King Arthur exciting enough without all this nonsense?

Overall Grade- D

47 Meters Down-

On the other end of the spectrum 47 Meters Down was an absolute blast at the theater. I get some of the criticisms of the movie. The script isn’t that great and the acting is so-so but it had me engrossed nonetheless.

In the film 2 sisters get stuck in a shark viewing cage at the bottom of the ocean and that was a tense, scary situation to be in and I felt it. I jumped on several occasions. The movie isn’t too long and builds tension well. The ending will be a bit polarizing but I enjoyed it.

It’s similar to last year’s The Shallows, which I think is better made but 47 Meters was fun nonetheless.

Overall Grade- B

Band Aid-

I almost got to see this indie at Sundance but didn’t make the screening in time and they gave away my seat. So I was pretty excited to see Band Aid. However, I must own to being pretty disappointed by it.

It may just be that Band Aid isn’t made for me. I think if I was married I might like it better. The premise sounds great with a couple writing all of their fights into hit songs but that’s not what you get. There aren’t very many songs in the movie- 2 or 3 and none of them are memorable.

Most of the movie is the couple fighting, and I hate watching that. It’s just an uncomfortable, unpleasant experience to watch people fight and be horrible to each other for 2 hours. There are some nice moments but not enough to make up for all that fighting.

Band Aid is also a pretty strong R rating with nudity and profanity so buyer beware